The invention regards a device for a system for handling of pipes, especially drill pipes, at a drill floor on an installation for exploration and production drilling, substantially for hydrocarbons, more particularly a system for storage of drill string sections, preferably in a vertical position, and transport of these between the storage location and an upper and a lower pipe handler located in close proximity to the extension of the wellbore axis of a drill floor for joining to the drill string, or between the storage location and means of separating the drill pipe lengths of the drill string sections and placing these, preferably in a horizontal position, in intermediate storage or a transit rack, or retrieval of drill pipe lengths from the transit rack, moving these, preferably to a vertical position, and joining these to form an assembled drill string section.
In its most advanced form, prior art in this area comprises one or more manipulators positioned upright or moving at the drill floor, and which are provided with one or more devices arranged to grip a drill string section and move it between a storage area, in the form of e.g. a finger board, and the drill string protruding up through the drill floor, where the drill string is being assembled or disassembled. Known drill string manipulators or handlers take up a lot of space at the drill floor, an area where a large accessible storage space is required for various components, tools etc. Moreover, known drill string handlers are heavy, which is a disadvantage in terms of the dimensioning of constructional supports etc., and also when considering the loading capacity that is available for operating equipment such as mud, cement, liners, drill pipes etc. onboard floating installations. In the case of older installations, the space may be so limited as to make it physically impossible for a known drill string handler to operate due to e.g. surrounding and overlying derrick structures etc.
The object of the invention is to remedy or reduce at least one of the disadvantages of prior art.
The object is achieved by the characteristics given in the description below and in the following claims.
The invention regards a device for a system for handling and storage of drill string sections and assembly or disassembly of a drill string on an installation intended especially for exploration and/or production drilling for hydrocarbons, at least one set of individual, separate cooperating means of transport being arranged to move a drill string section or a single drill pipe length by synchronized movement, where    a) a primary means of transport is provided with a first gripping device for releasably holding a lower end portion of the drill string section or the drill pipe length;    b) a secondary means of transport is provided with a first means of lateral support for releasably enclosing an upper end portion of the drill string section or the drill pipe length; and where    c) each means of transport can be displaced along an essentially horizontal or vertical guideway.
Advantageously at least one primary means of transport is provided with means of joining and separating drill pipe lengths in the drill string section; and advantageously at least one primary means of transport is provided with means of vertical displacement of the first gripping device.
Preferably the device comprises an upper and a lower finger board for positioning of the upright drill string section in a storage area and holding the drill string section in a chosen storage position, where the upper and lower finger boards are each provided with at least one set of transport means for substantially horizontal displacement of the drill string section along the guideways; together with means positioned in close proximity to the upper and lower finger boards, respectively, for joining and separating the drill section to/from the drill string.
Preferably the device comprises:    a) means of moving a drill pipe length between a horizontal position and a vertical position;    b) means of joining and separating at least two upright drill pipe lengths associated with an upright drill string section by rotating a drill pipe length about its central axis for joining or separation at the thread areas of the drill pipe length;    c) a lower pipe handler and an upper pipe handler located in close proximity to the extension of the wellbore axis of a drill floor; and    d) means of transferring a drill pipe length or a drill string section between a) and b), between b) and the finger boards, between the finger boards and c), and also between b) and c).
Preferably the device comprises means of moving a drill pipe length between a horizontal position and a vertical position, where the means comprise a first gripping device mounted on a first primary means of transport arranged to move along a first guideway, and a first means of lateral support mounted on a first secondary means of transport arranged to move along a second guideway.
Preferably the first guideway is essentially horizontal.
Preferably the second guideway is essentially vertical.
Preferably a third guideway comprises at least two vertically displaceable means of transport, each provided with gripping devices and/or means of lateral support for rotational joining and separation of the thread areas of the drill string sections and vertical displacement of the assembled drill string section or the separate drill pipe length; means of moving the upright drill pipe length out of engagement with the first gripping device and the first means of lateral support and into engagement with the gripping device and/or means of lateral support of the third guideway; and also means of moving the upright drill string section into or out of engagement with the upper and lower pipe handlers.
Preferably the third guideway comprises an upper second secondary means of transport provided with a second means of lateral support for releasably enclosing an upper end portion of the drill string section or a first drill pipe length; furthermore an intermediate second primary means of transport provided with a second gripping device for releasably holding a middle section of the drill string section or a lower end portion of the first or a second drill pipe length; furthermore a lower tertiary means of transport provided with a clamping device for releasably holding a lower part of the drill string section or the lower end portion of a drill pipe length; the intermediate second primary means of transport and/or the lower tertiary means of transport being provided with means of rotating the drill string section or parts thereof about the central axis of the pipe.
Preferably the means of moving the drill string section into or out of engagement with the lower and upper pipe handlers comprise a fourth and a fifth guideway, respectively, a third primary means of transport provided with a third gripping device for releasably holding the lower end portion of the drill string section being movably coupled to the fourth guideway, and a third secondary means of transport provided with a third means of lateral support for releasably enclosing the upper end portion of the drill string section being movably coupled to the fifth guideway.
Preferably the device comprises means of transport for horizontal displacement of a drill string section along a sixth and a seventh guideway, respectively, in close proximity to the free finger ends of the upper and lower finger boards, respectively; and means of transport for horizontal displacement of a drill string section along the fingers of the upper and lower finger boards.
Preferably the means of transport for horizontal displacement of a drill string section along the sixth and seventh guideway, respectively, comprise a fourth secondary means of transport with a fourth means of lateral support for releasably enclosing en upper end portion of a drill string section, and a fourth means of transport with a fourth gripping device for releasably holding the lower end portion of the drill string section, respectively.
Preferably the means of transport for horizontal displacement of the drill string section along the fingers of the upper and lower fingerboards, respectively, comprise a fifth secondary means of transport with a fifth means of lateral support for releasably enclosing the upper end portion of the drill string section, and a fifth primary means of transport with a fifth gripping device for releasably holding the lower end portion of the drill string section, respectively.
Preferably the fifth primary means of transport and the fifth secondary means of transport, respectively, are each provided with separate coupling means for releasable coupling to a shuttle carriage.
Preferably the shuttle carriage is arranged, after controlled release of the fifth secondary means of transport and the fifth primary means of transport, respectively, from movable interconnection with an arbitrary finger on the upper and lower finger board, respectively, to bring a fifth secondary means of transport and the fifth primary means of transport, respectively, into engagement with another arbitrary finger in the upper and lower finger board, respectively.
Preferably the means of transport is provided with or connected to means of controlling the carriage travel.
Preferably the device comprises means of monitoring the position of any drill string section in the system.
Preferably one or more of the clamping means, the lower pipe handler and the gripping devices are provided with lifting means for vertical movement of the drill string section or the drill pipe length.
Preferably one or more of the clamping means, the lower and the upper pipe handlers, the gripping devices and the means of lateral support are provided with means of effecting horizontal movement of the drill string section or the drill pipe length.
Preferably at least one of the gripping devices is provided with means of providing fixed vertical support for the drill string section.
Preferably each finger of the upper finger board comprises means of holding a single drill string section or a group of drill string sections.
Preferably the lower pipe handler is provided with means of effecting horizontal and vertical displacement of an upper and a lower pipe gripping tong.
Preferably the lower pipe gripping tong is arranged to hold the drill string in a firm grasp and the upper pipe gripping tong is arranged to rotate the drill string section about the central axis of the pipe for joining the drill string section to or separating it from the drill string.
Preferably the means of transport are carriages that engage the driving means of the guideway or the shuttle carriage.
Alternatively the means of transport are fixed to a belt or chain-like device extending along a substantial portion of the longitudinal extent of the guideway.